ABSTRACT
There are many settings within which we might profitably observe human nature in general and the human mind in particular. Sigmund Freud invented a unique and remarkable setting within which the operations of the emotion-processing mind could be exquisitely investigated. The psychological forces that are mobilized by a healer, and by the setting and rules within which he or she works with a patient, create a highly definable and compelling framework for the detailed scrutiny of adaptive interactions and the mental processes that underlie them. The therapeutic work and the responsibilities of both parties to therapy are defined by this treatment framework. The frame also defines the specific adaptive tasks—be they conscious or unconscious—that confront both the patient and therapist. As for the basic frame, the conscious adaptive challenges that it raises for the patient are to free-associate and reveal whatever comes to mind, attend to the therapist’s interventions, and adhere to the ground rules of the therapy.
